Just finished Tender Is The Flesh. My rating sadly is 2/5
I just didn't particularly like the writing style. I thought that the writer was just mainly going for grotesque, and a hoping that the shock factor would wow readers. I also don't know what the virus did, so I felt that I only really got half the story. I thought the ending was super disappointing, and the only part that intrigued me was the part where he found the dogs, but that led to nothing. I felt it was only added in so the writer could talk about the dogs being abused later on.
I also felt the writing was extremely bland, I never truly felt like the character was truly disgusted, but he was just a bit... mopey I guess.
I also don't understand what the point in adding in the side story about the lab was, other than to further describe the horrors. It added nothing. Especially since it was a new setting with less than 30 pages to go.
And I also found it quite difficult to figure out who the author was speaking about when there was the MC in the room and another male, because she tended to use "he" for, let's say the male lab assistant, and exclusively used "he" when talking about the MC. So I had to reread a few paragraphs because I got lost as to who was actually talking or doing something.
And also all the female characters I felt were quite poorly written. For example, the butcher lady was just there to be his sort of side piece, then she was hardly ever brought up again.
I think mainly the short sentences and flat characters were just a bit disappointing for me.
Perhaps I misread this, but I don't think the descriptions were great either, like I said before, I don't know what the virus did, maybe I skipped past that part or haven't remembered it, but one part I did actually go back to check I never missed it since there was a paragraph on it about a page later, but the author never described the hair colour of the female head he was looking after. Then she went on to describe how it was dirty, and he brushed it lightly as to not hurt her, and it was just difficult for me to sort of imagine that when I don't know the hair colour xD maybe I misread that part too though.
Don't get me wrong, I can see how people like the book, but I think it just wasn't for me xD I was hoping to be a bit more taken by the story since I heard good feedback from others about it. I just don't think it sucked me in as much as I wished it would :C But I'm glad to say I have read it! I'm always glad to finish a book, whether I enjoyed it or not, so that's always a plus!
I know the virus killed the population, but it's only really ever described lightly as a government conspiracy, and it doesn't really go much further into detail than that. I know the timeframe was within the MC's lifetime, but again, the descriptions fall a little flat. I don't know how long the transition took, just that there was one. Was it months? Years? When he speaks about the zoo, it seems like years, but then he's still got a cot, and he's still in contact with his ex-wife about the child. I'm not sure if I'm trying to make a connection here for my sake or if it's something completely unrelated. I was also super underwhelmed at the ex's reaction at the very end. At first it was horror at what he had done, then it was complete acceptance, and when he clubbed the head, well, in the head, the ex was almost annoyed because the head could have given them more children. If it's that forbidden I'd have expected a stronger reaction or more resistance.
I think I got recommended the book because I read "Wake" by Elizabeth Knox. I liked Wake, but again I felt the ending fell a little flat when it came to 1 character in particular. But I'd recommend Wake for anyone that liked this book.
All in all, it's not something I regret reading at all, but I was expecting a little more from the hype I heard. I had read this right after reading "Wake" by Elizabeth Knox, which I feel would be in a similar ballpark. Maybe I read books that were too similar, too close together I hope you enjoy it, and I can't wait for you to tell us how you think it is!